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Former Cleveland Clinic and U.W. Neurosurgeons to Co-Lead the Seattle Neuroscience Institute at Swedish Medical Center: Vision is to Build International Center of Excellence

SEATTLE, Oct. 14, 2004 - Two of America's top neurosurgeons have been appointed to leadership positions within the Seattle Neuroscience Institute at Swedish Medical Center. Marc R. Mayberg, M.D., formerly of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, will serve as executive director of the program, and David W. Newell, M.D., formerly of Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, will serve as co-director and medical director.

Together, they will lead a major expansion of Swedish's existing neuroscience program, bringing together the expertise, technology and facilities to create an international center of excellence in treatment and research. Formerly known as the Swedish Neuroscience Institute, the name has been changed to the Seattle Neuroscience Institute at Swedish Medical Center to reflect the broader scope, breadth and global reach being envisioned for the program.

"As the population ages, the incidence of Alzheimer's disease, stroke and other neurological conditions are on the rise, so we are anticipating a greater need for neurological care and innovation in our region," said Marcel Loh, chief operating officer of the Swedish/Providence campus, the hub of the neuroscience program. "Under the leadership of these distinguished surgeons, we will build upon the success of our existing program to introduce new technologies and treatments to the community, and invest more resources into promising new research."

Dr. Mayberg previously served as chair of neurological surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, where he built one of the most highly regarded neuroscience facilities in the world. Prior to that, he was chief of neurosurgery clinical services at the University of Washington Medical Center. Dr. Mayberg has a distinguished academic and clinical career and has assumed numerous national leadership positions in neurosurgery. He specializes in surgery and radiosurgery of pituitary and skull-base tumors, as well as cerebrovascular disorders.

Dr. Newell will be in his new role later this fall and comes to Swedish from Harborview Medical Center, where he most recently served as acting chief of neurological surgery. In addition, he was a professor of neurological surgery at the University of Washington and director of the university's Cerebrovascular Laboratory. A renowned leader in neurosurgical clinical care and treatment, he specializes in minimally invasive surgical treatments of the cerebrovascular system and has been named one of the "Best Doctors in America." He has won numerous honors, awards and distinctions.

"This is an unparalleled opportunity for me," said Dr. Mayberg. "Swedish has committed to building the most technologically advanced neuroscience institute in the world. We are looking forward to drawing upon the talent of the outstanding specialists already on the medical staff at Swedish, as well as elsewhere in Seattle and the Puget Sound. In addition, we expect to attract other highly qualified specialists from throughout the country and the world as the institute grows," said Dr. Mayberg

Added Dr. Newell, "We also are excited about the possibility for synergies with Seattle's bio-tech, software and engineering industries. We will actively seek opportunities to collaborate with them on research into new technologies and treatments for neurological conditions, and we look forward to making those innovations available to patients."

The core hub of the Seattle Neuroscience Institute will be located at Swedish/Providence campus on 17th and Jefferson. The neuroscience institute is a major component of the revitalization of that campus. Drs. Mayberg and Newell will be housed in the campus' James Tower Life Sciences Building, an integrated medical and life sciences facility.

A graduate of Harvard University and the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minn., Dr. Mayberg completed his residency in neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and was a fellow at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases in London. Dr. Mayberg is a past president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, current chairman of the Stroke Council Executive Committee of the American Heart Association and treasurer of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons. He is a founding member of the Brain Attack Coalition and was instrumental in the development of guidelines for the certification of primary stroke centers. Dr. Mayberg has been a principal investigator for many clinical trials and holds many National Institute of Health (NIH) grants, including his current NIH-funded research on the blood-brain barrier.

Dr. Newell received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio in 1982 and completed an eight-year residency-training program in neurosurgery at the University of Washington. He was appointed to the faculty of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington in 1989. Dr. Newell serves on a number of national committees, including the American Brain Injury Consortium, the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories, the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association, the Joint Section on Cerebrovascular Surgery, and the Neurosonology Research Group of the World Federation of Neurology. Dr. Newell is the principal investigator for many clinical trials and holds multiple NIH grants. He is the author of numerous medical-journal articles and book chapters as well as four textbooks.

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Swedish Medical Center is the largest, most comprehensive, nonprofit health provider in the Pacific Northwest. It is comprised of three hospital campuses (First Hill, Providence and Ballard), Swedish Home Care Services and Swedish Physicians - a network of 11 primary-care clinics. In addition to general medical and surgical care, Swedish is known as a regional referral center, providing specialized treatment in areas such as cardiac care, oncology, orthopedics, high-risk obstetrics, neurological care, sleep medicine, pediatrics, organ transplantation and clinical research. For more information, visit www.swedish.org